Queen Maxima at opening of Dutch Parliament

Queen Maxima at opening of Dutch Parliament



It was a day of pomp and pageantry in the Netherlands, as the King and Queen travelled by horse-drawn carriage from the Noordeinde Palace to open the new parliamentary session.

Queen Maxima, 46, was elegant in a formal grey gown as she and King Willem-Alexander arrived at the Ridderzaal in The Hague on Tuesday.

Thousands of well-wishers lined the route from the palace to the Houses of Parliament to catch a glimpse of the King and Queen Maxima, who wore a ceremonial sash and a dazzling diamond necklace for the occasion.



Amid pageantry and tight security, police installed temporary barriers to block roads near the route and officers patrolled the city as crowds, many wearing orange hats and scarves, cheered the royals.

King Willem-Alexander delivered the traditional Speech from the Throne in the Ridderzaal - or Knights' Hall - and hailed a 'flourishing economy' after a number of 'difficult years' for the Dutch.



He also used the speech to offer support to the Caribbean territories of St. Maarten, Saba and St. Eustatius, after they were devastated this month by Hurricane Irma.

'The government will do all in its power to alleviate the islands' acute distress,' Willem-Alexander said.

'The Caribbean part of the kingdom will not stand alone as it faces the task of reconstruction.'



It was a return to formal duties for mother-of-three Maxima, who last week enjoyed a low-key evening at a concert in Amsterdam.

The hat she chose for Tuesday's outing was strikingly similar to one the Queen wore last week to open the Asian Library at Leiden University.

She wore a monochrome dress and a black, pillbox style hat for the visit to her mother-in-law Beatrix's alma mater.